Here at the End of All Things
by sirbartonslady
Summary: [COMPLETE] With the destruction of Naraku and the Shikon no Tama, Inuyasha and his friends are forced to make life altering decisions on a moment's notice, and live with the consequences.
1. Apocalypse Now

**UPDATE:** November 25, 2005: fixed a few small errors

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part One: Apocalypse Now**

"Watch out!" Miroku dove slantways and tumbled Sango out of the direct path of a poison attack. This battle was not going the way they'd hoped. The only guarantee was that something was going to end here. Either Naraku was going to be destroyed, or they were. The casualties alone were too much to bear at this point now... Naraku had pulled out all his stops, had reabsorbed all his incarnations and was struggling to absorb the completed Shikon no Tama. It was resisting him, amazingly.

Inuyasha lunged across the chasm that had opened up in the ground, with Kagome and Shippo just barely clinging to his arms and torso as he bridged a formidable gap. As he landed, blood spattered the ground from his many wounds, and his right leg buckled, sending him awkwardly to one knee. Shippo grabbed fistfuls of his liquid-silver hair and bawled in grief and terror. Kagome was still reeling with shock at their recent losses.

"Are you alright?" Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder, wincing at the tears streaming from Kagome's eyes. He hated to see her cry, though he knew her tears were well earned. So many of their allies had fallen to Naraku...

"Yeah... just, just get the bastard, okay?" She rubbed her eyes with a hand, willing her heart to freeze itself. She would grieve for Koga and the others when the danger had passed.

"I'm working on that. You get out of the way. I'll try to draw his fire. If you can get him with an arrow, so much the better. We might yet get that jewel away from him..."

"WATCH OUT!" Sango shrieked from where she and Miroku were hiding behind a boulder. Inuyasha pivoted just in time to block an attack aimed at him. Shippo gulped in fear and burrowed into Inuyasha's back, pulling the argent mane overtop to hide him.

"If you want to survive, runt," Inuyasha growled, "you'll get the hell off my back and run for it!" Grabbing Shippo around the waist, Kagome released her grip on Inuyasha's shoulders and dropped to the ground, sprinting to where her friends hid. As Miroku and Sango gathered her and Shippo in, she saw a burst of energy erupt from Naraku's hand, aimed at Inuyasha.

"Hyaaah!" Inuyasha launched a Backlash Wave, sending the blast wheeling back to hit Naraku in the teeth (not literally, unfortunately). Naraku laughed contemptuously. Inuyasha was tiring quickly. Loss of blood, emotional drain and nonstop dodging and parrying had sapped his reserve. Even if he cast away Tetsusaiga now and allowed himself to transform to a full demon, he probably wouldn't be able to do it.

Kagome covered her ears as a thundering roar rose up from where the ground shuddered beneath the blasts. How were they going to do this? Inuyasha would be rendered immobile simply due to fatigue before too long, and Miroku wouldn't be able to use the Wind Tunnel so close to Naraku without risking pulling in one of his companions. The closer to Naraku he was, the more renegade the Wind Tunnel became. The prayer beads only barely held it back right now, as it was.

Inuyasha aborted his plan and dove for cover with the rest of them. His mangled ears, bleeding profusely from being scorched by stray shots, twitched relentlessly.

"There's someone or something here. A demon lord," he hissed, "a powerful one. I can't smell who it is because of Naraku's stink, but I can feel it."

Kagome put her arms around him and hugged him, choking back the sobs.

"Get off me, woman," Inuyasha said peevishly, "now isn't the time for amorousness. Let me finish off Naraku and then..."

A blast of blue light and energy erupted from off to the left, countering a blow by Naraku. Kagome tightened her grip on Inuyasha, who was shuddering and trembling with fatigue. He was on the verge of passing out...

"Sesshomaru!" Miroku hissed in shock as the white-haired demon lord approached from where the blue blast had originated. His clothing was badly burned and in rags, his armor shattered. Tenseiga pulsed in its sheath at his waist, while Tokijin strobed with blue light in his hand.

"Well, well," Naraku chuckled, "so you decided to show up, did you?"

"Don't be so conceited, Naraku," Sesshomaru said calmly. "You have overstepped your bounds. I would not interfere, but you have poisoned the very land of my domain."

Naraku didn't even deign to answer.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said, almost conversationally, "come over here."

"I'll have nothing to do with you, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha retorted.

"I did not," Sesshomaru replied coldly, "give you an option. _Come here_."

Against his will, Inuyasha was compelled to his brother's side. Sesshomaru sheathed Tokijin and drew the pulsating Tenseiga. Tetsusaiga began to glow and pulsate a bright red while Tenseiga pulsed blue. Inuyasha looked askance at Sesshomaru. The demon lord hadn't taken his eyes off of Naraku, but he swung Tenseiga as if to strike Inuyasha. As the blade of the Sword of Healing struck the blade of the Steel-Cleaving Fang, the contact created a great vortex of light.

Kagome, Miroku and Sango all ducked down, hugging the ground in desperation as the vortex of light emitted a high-pitched klaxom. Shippo sobbed in Kagome's arms, Sango shook with unreleased sobs and Miroku clutched at his sealed hand, trying to force the Wind Tunnel to behave itself.

"What the hell!" Kagome looked up when Inuyasha leaped away from Sesshomaru and landed beside her.

Behind the young demon lord stood a gargantuan shadow figure of a dog demon that made Sesshomaru's demon form look like a miniature puppy. It was a ghostly apparition, bathed in an otherwordly green light.

"The Inutaisho!" Sango breathed.

"It can't be," Miroku gaped. "He's been dead for too long, how can Tenseiga have brought him back?"

_My land called me, _an otherwordly voice intoned. _I am here to help right an ancient wrong and heal my land._

Naraku looked frightened for once as the specter stepped forward with the gait of a German Shepherd on the warpath.

From the right a purple light lanced through the air and pierced through Naraku's torso. The Inutaisho's ghost lunged forward and struck the dumbstruck half-demon.

"What in the bloody blue blazing hell is going on!" Miroku's jaw fell further open.

"Kikyo!" The name ripped itself from Inuyasha's throat. The priestess was running across the uneven ground, an arrow clutched in her hand. She leaped and landed on Naraku just as the _Inu no Taisho_ struck, and with all her might she drove the arrow into Naraku's chest.

There was no more time for thought...

* * *

Kagome came to slowly, her head throbbing. As she opened her eyes, she saw the sky had returned to its usual sunny blue. She sat up with some effort to find herself amidst the ruins of Naraku's base. Miroku was kneeling beside where Koga had fallen in defeat, head bowed in prayer. Sango cradled the lifeless body of her firecat Kirara, weeping bitterly for her loss. Shippo clung to her shoulder, also sobbing. 

Kagome looked around. Inuyasha was leaning on the sheathed Tetsusaiga, braced against a boulder, apparently in deep conversation with Sesshomaru and the giant dog-shaped apparition that was apparently their father. He looked absolutely wretched, and she could see the remnants of tracks of tears on his face. He also looked about ready to pass out and fall over. Sesshomaru wasn't looking at him, was largely ignoring him.

Kagome forced herself to stand up, forced herself not to look down at the bodies littering the ground.

"Inuyasha," she called, stumbling forward. "Inuyasha?"

He looked up, and it was a measure of his fatigue that he did nothing more than look at her and appear relieved. The deadened look in his eyes spooked her more than anything she could think of.

Had they failed? After all of that, all those lives lost, all that hard work, had they failed to destroy Naraku?

But if so, why were they still alive?

"Are you hurt, Kagome?"

"No, I'm fine. In body at least," she said, shuddering. "You should lie down, though, you're about to collapse."

"In a minute," Inuyasha said in a dull voice, then turned his attention to the increasingly-hard-to-see specter of his father.

_My time has ended,_ the wind spoke the words of the Inutaisho. The ghostly shape was dissipating slowly. The great red eyes of the dog-shaped demon lord were steadily fading, but the voice was blissfully relieved. _Sesshomaru, it is your turn to rule the Western Lands. I can now rest in peace knowing that the evil I allowed to taint this land has been purged. The Shikon no Tama is no more, and with it, the many-demon Naraku is gone._

Sesshomaru bowed in acceptance and turned to depart without another word. But there was no arrogance in his posture, nor did his behaviour give the slightest offense. He was accepting the mantle of his father.

The glowing red eyes softened a trifle as they shifted their gaze to Inuyasha.

_There is nothing left for you here, my dear son. My realm cannot be ruled by two, and it cannot be ruled by anything less than a demon lord. But make no mistake: I am very proud of you. You have done more than any other hanyou has ever dreamed of doing._

Kagome put her arms around Inuyasha, offering her strength to help him remain standing, if he was so determined to.

_The portal that connects Kagome's time with this time period is now beginning slowly to deteriorate. By the next new moon it will be closed completely, and permanently. Kagome cannot stay here; she belongs in her own time. If she chooses to stay here, she will find the world around her will dissolve. There is a future for her back in her own time. The question, my son, is this: will you join her in her time, or will you stay here and wander the lands aimlessly?_

"There is nothing for me here," Inuyasha said, "except death, which I will meet sooner or later. But is there anything for me there except more of the same?"

"You'll have me," Kagome said softly.

There was a distressed cry from nearby. Miroku was clutching his right wrist in agony; "It's still here! My Wind Tunnel hasn't gone away! Does that mean Naraku escaped?"

_No such thing,_ replied the wind from the Dog General. _But your time here has ended, itinerent monk. Only by leaving this world behind can you truly escape this curse._

"What?" Miroku asked stupidly. "That can't be right..."

_And you, demon slayer. Will you stay here and waste away? What is left for you here in this world?_

Sango looked up at what remained of the _Inu no Taisho_: his glowing eyes. "I do not know."

_I can send you forward with Kagome, if you wish. With the last of my power, I can hold open the portal long enough for you to pass through, but you must decide now._

* * *

**This chapter was originally published on February 10, 2005  
It was last updated onNovember 25, 2005**


	2. Gypsy of a Strange And Distant Time

**UPDATED:** November 25, 2005: fixed a few small errors

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part Two: Gypsy of a Strange and Distant Time**

_I can send you forward with Kagome, if you wish. With the last of my power, I can hold open the portal long enough for you to pass through, but you must decide now._

"I don't have to think about it," Inuyasha said. "There is nothing for me here. With Naraku and the Jewel both gone, I have no driving force, and if I can never see Kagome again, then my life will be meaningless. I will go with her, even if it should mean the end of my life before I get to her home."

Kagome found herself saying what she had privately sworn she'd never say if ever she heard Inuyasha proclaim to choose her; "But what about Kikyo?"

"Kikyo was nothing more than a clay body, animated and bestowed with a personality that was hauntingly familiar. Were she truly alive, perhaps things might have been different. Then again, perhaps not. Naraku was evil as sin, but he had a point: the legacy of the 'trust' Kikyo and I had for each other was so tenuous, it was ridiculously easy to break and turn to hatred. You, on the other hand, have always been there for me." His eyes clouded over. "I cannot stop loving her; you cannot expect me to. But I cannot stay here either out of devotion to her. She is beyond my reach."

_Kikyo has found peace. She has done what she was called back to do, and she is at peace._

"Inutaisho," Miroku said, a hint of desperation in his voice, "what do you mean when you say I must leave this world in order to break my curse?"

_Passage through the time portal will force your void to close. If you survive the journey through time, that is._

"Then I'm going to. The way it's behaving, it'll consume me in 48 hours if it isn't stopped."

"Then I'm going too!" Sango said. "My entire family is gone, and now I've lost Kirara. I have nothing else but you guys. I need to be with you."

"I want to go too!" Shippo said frantically. "Don't leave me behind."

_We must be going to the well. Son, you will need to carry your friends. My powers wane as we speak._

"But, he can barely hold himself up!" Kagome protested, overwhelmed by the adamant devotion of her friends.

"Hold still, _hanyou_," a silky voice intoned coldly from behind Inuyasha. Kagome froze and Inuyasha went rigid. They had last seen Sesshomaru leaving--when had he come back without them knowing! Sesshomaru slashed diagonally, a blue light cutting across Inuyasha's back.

"Sess--" Kagome started to yell, until she saw the white-haired demon lord carry the momentum through and sheathe Tenseiga---_Tenseiga?_ Not Tokijin?

Inuyasha let out a sigh as a blue light enveloped him. In five heartbeats his wounds healed up completely and even his fire-rat clothing mended.

"Handy!" Kagome said, fingering the fabric. "It mends clothing too!"

"Now get out of here," Sesshomaru growled, his voice echoing his demon side. "I will settle for you leaving forever, if I cannot have your head."

"Come along all of you, let's get out of here before my asshole brother rips us to shreds," Inuyasha crouched slightly to allow Kagome to hop on his back. Sango and Miroku clambored on as well, earning an ill-tempered comment from Inuyasha that nearly earned him a SIT... until Shippo pointed out that they'd all be going with him if Kagome shouted the incantation.

The faintly glowing eyes of the Inutaisho flared a moment and then zoomed forward, slamming into Inuyasha's eyes. He grunted in surprise but held his ground.

_Go._

* * *

As the little clearing surrounding the Bone-Eaters' Well came into view, it began to sink in to Kagome, all the ramifications. 

Kaede was dead.

Koga was dead.

Kirara was dead.

Kohaku was dead.

But most importantly, _Naraku_ was dead! And her beloved companions were coming home with her!

_If they can_, the thought nagged at her like a puppy worrying a chew toy.

Inuyasha landed on the rim of the well, and paused. "Hold on tight, everyone. Don't let go for any reason or you will be lost. This time it's going to be different. The portal won't want to let us through."

"How do you know this, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked.

"I just do. I don't know how, but I just know this."

Kagome wrapped an arm around Shippo. "Let's go, Inuyasha. Let's go before the Inutaisho loses what's left of his power."

Inuyasha took one bouncing step and then they were falling through a vortex of shadows and light, the stars wheeling by them. Kagome found it strangely enjoyable, but her companions all groaned, muttered and strained as the exact nexus of the time portal approached. There was a slight hesitation as they passed through the nexus itself, and then the stars disappeared, followed by an all-consuming blackness.

A blackness with consciousness...

Kagome rubbed the side of her face. She was awake, but she couldn't see a thing. She reached out with an arm and felt around her...

Walls. Cold stone walls... and the smell of stale earth...

She couldn't see or feel anything around but earth and stone...

Had her friends not made it through? Had she been the only one to make it through the portal of time?

She heard a soft feminine moan from a few feet away.

"Sango?" she called softly. "Are you there? Are you okay?"

"I'm here and I think I'm okay. Are you okay, Kagome?"

"Yeah, of course I'm okay."

There was a softer masculine moan. "Is this dark place your world, Kagome? Or have I lost my vision?"

"Miroku?"

"None other than... is it dark for me only?"

"No, someone's put the cover on the well," Kagome said. "I'll go see if I can open it."

"Where's Shippo? Or Inuyasha?"

There was a squeak that sounded sort of like Kirara. _I am here,_ a juvenile voice spoke to their minds. _I think I've been forced to transform permanently._ A blue spark illuminated in a nearby corner, a small spark of foxfire. Near Kagome lay a fourth human form, utterly still. In the blue glow of the foxfire, the blood-red raiment of Inuyasha's fire-rat clothing still stood out.

Kagome crawled over to him and placed a hand at his neck. His skin was very cold, but she could feel his heart beating. He was still alive, but he was unconscious still.

"Everyone's accounted for."

* * *

**This chapter was originally published on February 11, 2005  
It was last updated on November 25, 2005**

**Author's Afterword**: The chapter title comes from a song I dearly love, called "Gypsy," a song that inspired this chapter enormously. I almost want to classify the chapter as a songfic, except that... well, it really isn't. But if you're curious, here are the lyrics to the song.

"Gypsy"  
words and music by Justin Hayward

_A gypsy of a strange and distant time  
Travelling in panic all direction blind  
Aching for the warmth of a burning sun  
Freezing in the emptiness of where he'd come from _

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Left without a hope of coming home.

Speeding through a shadow of a million years  
Darkness is the only sound to reach his ears  
Frightening him with the visions of eternity  
Screaming for the future that can never be

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Left without a hope of coming home.  
Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh

A gypsy of a strange and distant time  
Travelling in panic all direction blind  
Aching for the warmth of a burning sun  
Freezing in the emptiness of where he'd come from

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh  
Left without a hope of coming home.  
Left without a hope of coming home  
Left without a hope of coming home


	3. Riddles Passing Through Time

**UPDATED:** November 25, 2005: fixed a few small errors

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part Three: Riddles Passing Through Time**

"It's latched," Kagome said in frustration as she pounded uselessly on the well cover. "Dammit, I hope that that only means there are visitors to the Shrine. Ever since I first came through the well, they always close the cover on it when there are visitors, just so no one has any issues." Kagome reversed direction and climbed back down the ladder, stepping carefully so as not to step on anyone. She settled herself down next to where Inuyasha still lay motionless. She felt something soft and furry brush across her leg.

"We can wait here for a while, and if no one comes and opens it back up, we'll see if we can draw some attention. Inuyasha isn't even conscious, after all."

"Miroku, is your wind tunnel gone?"

"Yeah it is," Miroku said, "but there's still some form of hole in my hand. But it's not sucking anything in, so I can live with it. Still, it hurts like hell and I can barely move my fingers."

Sango groaned and shifted, then yelped. "Ugh! Rock walls!"

"What happened?"

"I hit my elbow on the side of the well. Hurts like crazy."

There was a long, dry silence. No one had anything to say. Finally, Miroku broke the silence. "So... does anyone know exactly what the hell happened? I mean, one minute Naraku is kicking our butts, and the next minute, the Inutaisho shows up, then Kikyo gets involved, and all of a sudden, Naraku and the Jewel are both gone and the Inutaisho is telling us we need to go through time if we wish to survive."

From a corner of the well came a thin, wavering voice that was unmistakeably Inuyasha's. "I do."

"You're awake!"

"Barely. I haven't the energy to move. In fact, I barely have the energy to breathe."

Kagome felt her way through the dark to where she was sure Inuyasha lay. She knew immediately that she was right when she touched a shoulder and encountered long hair and the distinctive weave of his fire-rat clothing. "Just rest, Inuyasha. We're here in my own time. The well's been covered up, probably because of visitors to the shrine."

"Yeah... I heard." He heaved a sigh. "Let me tell you what went on, before I lose the capacity to retain it."

"Huh?"

"Just hear me out... and please don't interrupt. H-he made me see things as I passed through that time portal." Left unsaid was who this 'he' was, which was most likely the Inutaisho. Kagome patted his shoulder awkwardly. "Take your time, Inuyasha."

"I saw all sorts of things. It's almost like... like I'm supposed to be the keeper of secrets or something.

"What happened at the battle was that Sesshomaru distracted Naraku. Kikyo fired an arrow that, upon impact, fused Naraku with the Jewel. Then she ran in and hit him with the arrow in her hand, thereby purifying the Jewel and, by extension, Naraku. She did it that way so that she could maximize her purifying powers. Shot from a bow, the arrow would have lost some of its power; directly from her hand, it was at full strength.

"Upon purification, Naraku was rendered powerless and immobile. That's where the Inutaisho comes in. By striking Naraku directly just as he was rendered powerless, my father was able to obliterate Naraku and the Jewel by driving them both into the void between worlds."

"Void between worlds?" Miroku asked when Inuyasha paused.

"Between this world and the land of the dead where my father's remains are, there is a void. This, according to my father, is the only place to dispatch of beings as evil as Naraku. There literally is no escape. Your wind tunnel was a portal to the void. It is possible to pass through the void, when moving between worlds, but once you have become ensnared in it, you cannot escape and cease to exist."

There was another long silence, punctuated by Inuyasha's slightly-labored shallow breathing. Finally, he continued. "Sesshomaru... now I understand why he was the way he was. It's even there in his name. While my father reigned over the land, humans and _youkai_ existed in concert, if not in harmony. But when he died, the world became dangerous as youkai became more and more base and destructive. They... they were ruining themselves with their narrowmindedness.

"My father reigned over a golden age of diversity. But Sesshomaru was destined to reign over an age of purging. It was his fate to rid the world for the most part of youkai.

"Sesshomaru's name can be translated as 'Killing Circle.' That's essentially what he had to do for the span of his reign. That explains why in Kagome's time, youkai are nothing more than a fairy tale. Because that was the only way the world would survive. The youkai were threatening the very existence of the world. They had to be exterminated and humanity had to be allowed to flourish. Sesshomaru was the way he was because he couldn't have feeling and do his destined task."

Another long silence.

"That's why we all had to get out of there. The time of youkai was ending. Sesshomaru would have had to kill us all. Even the humans. Humans who were at all sympathetic to youkai were killed as well. I... I can't recall now why that was. Dammit! I knew I'd forget things!"

The others digested this information. Kagome closed her eyes - even though it was completely dark in the well - and reflected on her fallen friends. _So they would've died anyway. Whether by Naraku's hand or by Sesshomaru's, they all would've died._

"Someone's here," Inuyasha said in a strained whisper. "I can hear someone up there."

Kagome strained her hearing. She could hear her brother Sota jabbering to their grandfather. She couldn't hear what they said, only the nuances of their voices. Then the wood over the well shifted and the wooden covering came away.

"I don't think she'll be back any time soon," Gramps said. "She said they'd cornered that Naku feller."

_Naku?_ Kagome smothered a giggle. Trust Gramps to screw up the name.

"Down here!" she called. "Please, can you help me? We're all exhausted and can barely move."

"Kagome!" Gramps said, shining the flashlight down into the well.

"Sis! You're back!" Sota exclaimed. Kagome flinched and resisted the urge to comment on the statement of the obvious.

Inuyasha had no such inhibitions. "Thank you, Captain Obvious," he muttered so softly that even Kagome had trouble hearing.

"Who are these people?" Gramps asked. "I thought you and that dog fellow were the only ones who could come through the well."

"Long story. Please, it's crowded in here and we're exhausted. Help us out of here and we'll explain everything."

* * *

Sango had no trouble climbing out of the well. She had regained enough of her strength to climb out on her own, and she even carried Shippo under one arm. Once she'd reached main ground she saw that she carried a regular little fox kit, not the fox-like child she was used to. 

_So this is what the well did to him. Well, at least he's still alive._

Sota had to climb down into the well to help Miroku, whose right hand was useless because of the pain. Gramps pulled the young monk to safety once they reached the top of the well.

Inuyasha proved to be the real problem. Being the tallest and most muscular of the group, he was therefore the heaviest. The effort of retelling the story of his passage through time had rendered him nearly unconscious, and he couldn't move a muscle on his own behalf. Kagome opted to stay in the well with him until some energy returned. Sota retrieved her battered yellow backpack and any other items in the well and brought them to the surface before retreating to go find Mrs Higurashi.

Now that there was some light -- not much, granted, but some -- Kagome got a good look at Inuyasha. It all made sense now. His hair was black and his dog ears were gone, replaced by human ears. He was fully human now. He'd been virtually half-dead from all the exertion as a hanyou; as a human he was almost catatonic.

"Kagome? Are you alright?" a voice called from above.

"Mom! Can you help me get him out? He's almost unconscious, he's so weak."

"Sure, dear, just give me a moment." Mrs Higurashi climbed over the well side and down the ladder. As she reached the well floor she looked askance at her daughter. "Who is this?"

"This is Inuyasha, Mom. He looks different because... he lost his demon powers in coming forward this time. We killed Naraku and destroyed the Jewel, and we had to come forward in time or else we'd all be killed by the aftermath."

"I see. Well, let's get him out of here. Come along, Inuyasha." Mrs Higurashi maneuvered Inuyasha around and hauled him upright by hooking her arms under his shoulders. Between the two of them, Kagome and her mother managed to drag Inuyasha out of the well, with Gramps helping them once they got to the top.

Sango and Miroku were sitting just outside the wellhouse. Shippo was sniffing around. Kagome looked at the fox kit and felt mixed emotions. He was damned cute like that, but she'd kind of miss his humanoid form.

_Don't grieve for me, Kagome. This form is fine. My dad used to travel a lot in it, if you remember._ She felt the fox kit's voice in her head.

"Wow, Mom!" Sota said appreciatively. "I didn't know you were so strong."

Mrs Higurashi laughed; "Well, hauling all those groceries around has helped me build up my strength. Come along, Sota, let's go fix something to eat for Kagome's friends. Gramps, why don't you come help me?"

Kagome knelt beside where they'd laid Inuyasha out in the gently sunshine. "Are you feeling any better, Inuyasha?"

"A little," he murmured. "I'm sorry that I'm such a burden. I just..."

"Hush." She lifted him up a little and laid his head in her lap. "Just rest and get your strength back."

He chuckled softly; "This is familiar, isn't it? Except I'm not full of spider venom." His eyes opened slowly. "Thank you for everything, Kagome."

Kagome felt a gasp escape her. "Inuyasha! Your eyes...!"

"What about them?"

"They're... they're like your hanyou eyes! They're gold!"

"Keh," he said, "I figured that'd be the case. Father said that I was losing most of my _hanyou_ form because I couldn't fit in here in this world with them, but that I could keep some of my senses." His eyes closed again in fatigue. With a soft, puppy-like whine, he twitched a bit and then lulled into a restless sleep.

* * *

**This chapter was originally published on March 6, 2005  
It was last updated on November 25, 2005**


	4. Kin no Hitomi

**Author's Note: **First of all, I lied. Not intentionally, but this chapter is not pure unadulterated fluff. It has a plot after all. Not much of one, but it has a plot. Go fig. Secondly, It always bothered me that most post-Naraku stories say that Miroku's _kazaana_ or Wind Tunnel disappears without leaving a single scar. It seems to me that since he was born with it, having it taken away would still leave some kind of mark on him, and it seems like it ought to be painful at least in the beginning. Thus, I have done that.

**Announcement**: I'm not sure why this story is taking me so long to write. Considering how popular it is (despite the lack of reviews) I'm surprised I can't seem to turn out much for it. I get emails weekly begging me to continue the story. To which I am hereby proclaiming: **_I WILL! Just give me time!_** This story was never meant to be a serious one, like "Fireside Chats" was. It was mostly just a fluffy idea that kinda got away from me.

* * *

**UPDATED**: November 25, 2005: fixed a few small errors

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part Four: Kin no Hitomi**

Kagome didn't leave Inuyasha's side for the rest of the afternoon. His exhaustion was so intense that he slept soundly for close to three hours. Miroku and Sango had been through hell and back as well, and they too dozed, each of them propped up against Goshinboku. The fox kit that Shippo had become napped occasionally in someone's lap, but most of the time he spent exploring the grounds.

Kagome nodded off a couple of times herself, but only for a few minutes. She was still quite worried about Inuyasha. He had never been this exhausted before.

Sango was the first of them to come to herself again. She began helping Mama and Gramps with chores around the house, while Miroku rested underneath the tree, cradling his right hand against his chest.

"Miroku," Kagome said softly. "Can I see your hand? I'd like to see for certain that your Wind Tunnel is gone."

"I don't think you want to see it," the monk said softly. "It's gruesome."

"Gruesome?"

"Yes."

"How so?"

"There's still a hole there. It's just not sucking anything into it anymore."

"Can I see it? It looks like it's hurting you."

"It _is_ hurting me." He sighed and drew back the glove flap that had covered the hole on his hand. Then he held his hand out for Kagome to see. Kagome squelched a gasp at the sight.

There was _literally_ a gaping hole in the middle of his hand. It wasn't huge, but it was big enough to make her stare in morbid fascination. It was a complete hole, too. You could see all the way through. With his hand held the way it was, she could see the ground beneath them through the hole. The skin was straining to regrow over the hole, to knit itself together. Bones and muscle sinews peeped out around the edges of the hole, as parts of his hand tried to regain themselves.

Sango gasped as well, having approached carrying a tray full of tea and snacks for them to munch on.

Kagome reached out tentatively to touch the afflicted hand, but Miroku jerked it away in a knee-jerk reaction.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized quickly. Miroku just grunted in response. It was clearly extremely painful - more painful than he was willing to admit.

"Let it never be said that you are a weakling, Miroku," Inuyasha murmured, startling Kagome. She hadn't realized he was awake. "That makes me ache in sympathy, just looking at it."

"We can't take you to a doctor, Miroku," Kagome said regretfully. "We'd have to explain to the doctor how you got that hole in the first place, and they'd never believe the truth."

"I'll be fine," Miroku said irritably. "It just hurts right now 'cuz it's fresh."

Sota came bounding out of the house. As an animal lover, he was instantly attracted to the fox kit and had been playing with him off and on throughout the afternoon, and now he came out of the house carrying some sliced meat to feed to Shippo.

"Are you all staying with us forever and ever?" he asked excitedly as Shippo began to nibble on the meat, his little tail twitching in curiosity.

"Probably," Inuyasha said lazily, shifting position. "Argh. I'm _stiff_."

Sota leaned over. "Oh wow! You have still have gold eyes! Even with black hair! Now you _really_ look like Kin no Hitomi!"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow; "Like who?"

"He's some guy that's around the city," Sota said.

"He works with the police force," said Mrs Higurashi. "He's like a detective, but he's not employed by the police. He just helps them find dangerous criminals. No one knows how he does it, but he's like a bloodhound. Once he's on a trail, he always finds the perpetrator. No one even knows his real name; they just call him Kin no Hitomi."

"Have you met him?" Miroku asked.

"I have."

"What does he look like?"

"Well, he's very tall and slim. He has extremely long black hair, and he usually wears it tied up in a high pony-tail. His eyes are a very striking gold, like a pair of amber beads. He has a deep, resounding voice but he usually speaks very softly. And he also speaks rarely, and to the point when he does. They say he came from Hokkaido; that he worked on the horse farms over there."

_It can't be..._ Kagome thought to herself. "Mom, this... this Kin no Hitomi... is he missing an arm?"

"No, why do you ask?"

_So it's not Sesshomaru... but maybe it's a son of Sesshomaru?_

"Just curious."

* * *

_So they've come_. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of the wind to course over his tongue. _All of them have arrived, and right on time._

Kin no Hitomi flexed his prosthetic left arm carefully, maneuvering the fingers to ensure that they wouldn't get stuck in a weird position. He was glad to finally have a new, and improved, prosthetic arm. He'd needed a new one ever since that damned horse Sunday Silence had bit him years ago, shortly before the dumb beast had come down with a fatal case of hoof-rot. While he hadn't been pinned with the blame for the stallion's death, his welcome at Shadai had ceased after the animal croaked, and he'd moved on. Moved back to Tokyo, after a long, long absence.

Modern science had worked wonders - this arm obeyed his slightest commands. It was far better than ripping an arm off a corpse and using it until it rotted.

He opened his eyes and glanced sideways at his reflection in the long glass window nearby. The arm seemed quite natural. He preferred to not be stared at for a missing limb, and in this day and age, long diaphonous sleeves were not for men. Thus the prosthetic arm.

_Well, Inuyasha, we shall meet very soon. I will then be able to determine whether you are a threat to my dominion... and if you are, I will kill you, as I always said I would._

* * *

**hehehe, cliffhanger! XD Sorry, guys, but don't expect another update until late July. This story takes forever for me to get pieces of it done. I'm still focused mostly on "Fireside Chats" and the "Fangs of Steel" sequence.**

**This chapter was originally published on May 20, 2005  
It was last updated on November 25, 2005  
**


	5. A Diamond in the Rough

**Author's Note: **This story is completely separate from "Fireside Chats" and does not take any of my original characters there into account. And as for the horse names, well, let's just say I'm a HUUUUUGE fan of horse racing. XD Also keep in mind that this story does NOT take chapter 407 into account. As far as this story is concerned, Tokijin is still whole at the time of Naraku's defeat. And another note: anyone who's seen _Highlander_ (both the first movie and the TV series) will understand to some degree where I've gotten the ideas for Sesshomaru's power-ups. XD

**Announcement**: I'm not sure why this story is taking me so long to write. Considering how popular it is (despite the lack of reviews) I'm surprised I can't seem to turn out much for it. I get emails weekly begging me to continue the story. To which I am hereby proclaiming: **_I WILL! Just give me time!_** This story was never meant to be a serious one, like "Fireside Chats" was. It was mostly just a fluffy idea that kinda got away from me.

**UPDATED**: November 25, 2005: fixed a few small errors

* * *

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part Five: A Diamond in the Rough**

These days everyone called him Kin no Hitomi, though he preferred the name given him by his father centuries ago. However, the use of the name Kin no Hitomi as a title rather than a name didn't really bother him, so long as the humans left him alone for the most part. He preferred to be left alone. Alone was safest.

His father had named him Sesshomaru. "Circle of Destruction." He never knew his mother. He knew all too well his younger half-brother, though he tried to not think too much about the miserable half-breed.

He rose from his bed in a dark mood. He showered quickly and rinsed his long mane of hair with a solution of black dye, to keep its black hue even. The dye barely lasted 24 hours, so he had to re-dye it every day. His hair was actually not black, nor was it white or silver like it once had been. It was colorless, translucent. It looked shimmering white when left alone, because there was so much of it, and had been known to refract some lights in a rainbow of colors, but it was such a standout that he chose to keep it black to avoid undue attention. He stubbornly left his eyes untainted by society restrictions. So what if no one had golden eyes? Besides, the eyes resisted any attempts to change the colors as it was.

As he dried his hair and tied it up into a functional ponytail, he scrutinized his frame in the mirror. The prosthetic arm was affixed to the stump of his left arm, about six inches below the shoulder joint. It was attached very well and it moved like a real arm, responding to his every command, but it still lacked the one thing he missed about his original arm -- the ability to touch, to feel.

_Stop that._ He shook his head irritably. _You do not need that, and thinking about it merely distracts you._

The blue crescent moon that adorned his brow shimmered with a golden veneer. Like his golden eyes, the crescent moon defied any attempts to hide it cosmetically. The dark-ruby stripes on his cheeks and on his right hand likewise resisted cosmetic disguising, but a simple, tiny glamour cast over anyone who saw him made them disregard the marks on his cheekbones as mere scars. On his hands he wore black gloves, partly to disguise the distinctive marks, and partly to disguise that one of the hands was prosthetic. For his forehead, he used a simple black band of fabric -- a bandana of a sort -- tied around his head to disguise the mark.

As he dressed in black trousers and a dark steel-gray sweater, the sunlight glanced off the facets of the diamond set in a simple titanium ring he wore on his right hand. The diamond was more precious to him than anything in the world. It had been set into a number of different pieces of jewelry throughout the five centuries since he'd acquired it.

The diamond was all that remained of the one person to ever love him unreservedly, and the one person he revered above all others. The one person whose very presence saved his soul and his sanity in the darkest hours, when his destiny as exterminator threatened to overwhelm him.

He downed a tall glass of water and nibbled on a slab of raw beef that he kept refrigerated. His first-floor apartment was very small and spartan in decor. He had no need for lavish surroundings. His entire life was centered around finding and exterminating any youkai that raised its head.

He'd purged Hokkaido of the youkai horses that had begun invading quietly in the form of Thoroughbreds. While at a particular stallion farm, Shadai, he met one half-demon, half-horse named Sunday Silence -- the product of a demon-horse and a regular horse. Sunday Silence had proven to be no threat and unfortunately had died of illness shortly after he had determined the animal to be no threat.

He shook his head at the memory. He'd met other half-demons like Sunday Silence in his world travels, one by the name of Danehill. That animal had also died shortly after he'd determined it unthreatening, but he of a mortal injury incurred in an accident. The irony of it was not lost on Kin no Hitomi. He'd also met a few in America, one by the name of Secretariat. The animal had died about three years after Kin no Hitomi had met it. Strange how these kinds of half-demons were in fact revered by their non-demon brethren, including the humans who cared for them.

Kin no Hitomi picked up his subway pass and his keys, then with one pause at the doorway to survey his surroundings, he locked up the apartment, pocketed the keys and strode down the walkway to the street. Pausing for a crossing signal, he indulged himself in a deep inhalation of the world around. Despite the pollution of traffic and modern living, he was able to scent any unusual new arrivals.

_Nothing out of the ordinary. Good._

Upon reaching the subway entrance, he felt a tingle of suspicion sparkle up his spine. There was something about this day that sang a different note than most days.

Kin no Hitomi remained on alert as the subway arrived to pick up the people at this particular stop, casting a mild glamour about himself to keep anyone from noticing him. This power to cast glamours certainly came in handy at times, a power he'd acquired over the past two hundred and fifty years with the defeat of the last of the daiyoukai, a spellcaster named Mahoujin.

As the subway whirled down its tunnels, the tunnel lights flashing rhythmically, Kin no Hitomi had a brief moment where his heart nearly stopped as a young woman next to him laughed merrily. Her laugh and her looks were so alike to Rin's. Even now, after more than four and a half centuries, her laughter was still clear in his memory.

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those painful memories. Rin had been dead for nearly five hundred years. But the memories assaulted him still. She had died after only twenty years of traveling with him and Jaken. Her death had brought home to him the cold truth of the limits of Tenseiga's powers. There were two kinds of deaths it could not reverse: death of old age; and death of long-time illness. Rin had suffered the latter. A wasting in her lungs had given way to weakness and eventual death. She had been barely in her mid-twenties at the time of her death. Her only request, which had been her last words as well, had been for him to not forget her.

He had placed her remains on a funerary pyre and reduced her to ashes, to prevent her remains from being desecrated, and he'd made Jaken carry the ashes with them on their travels. From the site of her cremation he'd journeyed to the fiery mountains in the north, where the son of his father's old ally Housenki lived. Upon arriving at the home of Housenki II, he had made the youkai an unrefusable offer.

_"You have two choices to choose from, Housenki. Either you do as I ask, or I kill you now."_

_Housenki reeled back, startled. "Why?"_

_"It is my reign now. And I dictate who lives and who dies among youkai. Tenseiga only stipulates that I kill no innocent humans; it does not care about youkai. I can leave you alone so long as you leave humans alone, but only if you do as I ask."_

_Housenki swallowed heavily; "What do you ask of me?"_

_"These ashes are precious to me. Make them into a diamond, or similar mineral that can be carried."_

_"Th-that's all?"_

_"That's all. But do not waste a single ash. I will wait until you are finished."_

_"What you ask of me may take me a hundred or more years."_

_Tokijin flashed out and poised under Housenki's throat. "If you are half the jewelmaker you claim to be, this will take you no more than a week."_

It had taken Housenki three months to complete the gem, but complete it he did, and Sesshomaru, as he'd been known at that time, had honored his deal with Housenki, allowing the reclusive youkai to live in peace and solitude for the rest of his days. Recently, he'd received word through his uncanny telepathic network that Housenki II had finally passed on from old age, like his father.

Jaken had been middle-aged by the time he'd begun serving Sesshomaru, and about two hundred years after Rin's death, he too died of old age. In the two hundred years he had had Jaken with him following, Totosai also died of old age. Tenseiga seemed to lose some of its chutzpah after the old metalbender died.

So for the last three hundreds Kin no Hitomi had traveled alone. Tenseiga seemed to have lost its powers over the living and dead. Perhaps not; perhaps it merely no longer allowed him to see the difference. Ever since Rin died, he felt a distinct emptiness and lack of caring toward anyone. And then losing Jaken had made it harder for him to care about anyone. Only his destiny kept him moving. Demons ranged throughout the world. Many had escaped Japan when he rose to power, hoping to outdistance him. It was his destiny to exterminate the dangerous ones. He waited patiently for most of them to reveal themselves, and many mysteriously came back to Japan to do so.

As Kin no Hitomi stepped off the subway at the stop right in front of the police precinct he was currently helping, he took a breath of the air.

_What? This scent... _He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, allowing the scent of the wind to course over his tongue. _So they've come_. _All of them have arrived, and right on time. Well, Inuyasha, we shall meet very soon. I will then be able to determine whether you are a threat to my dominion... and if you are, I will kill you, as I always said I would._

* * *

**This chapter was originally published on August 23, 2005  
It was last updated on November 25, 2005  
**


	6. A Song for the Ages

**Author's Note: **Unfortunately, because this story has been idle for so long, I've chosen to end it early. I was planning to do ten chapters, but any and all ideas for future chapters have been rendered invalid or unusable by the sheer lack of drive to write that I've been cursed with. I just don't have any projected future for this fic, so I'm finishing it here. If, on the extremely unlikely off-chance that I get the urge to continue it, I'll reopen the story as in-progress, but for now, this finishes it. Sorry, to everyone who was expecting a lot more out of it. I just can't do much more. This was never intended to be much of a fic. It grew to be more than I wanted it to.

* * *

**Here at the End of All Things:  
Part Six: A Song for the Ages**

"Careful. Don't overexert yourself," Kagome chided as she and Sota both hoisted Inuyasha to his feet. He insisted on getting up and moving around, insisted he would be just fine, that he was just stiff and needed to get his joints moving. As the shock of the passage through the time portal faded, his old personality reasserted itself.

"Keh, overexert myself," he snorted. "I'll be fine if you stop coddling me, Kagome! Sheesh!" He tried to shrug her off, but she held fast.

"She could always start coddling _me_," Miroku quipped from where he still sat beneath Goshinboku. He attempted to use his dazzling woman-wooing smile, but the pain in his hand curled the corners of his mouth into a grotesque parody of winsome smile.

"Hey, now, Monk, I warned you about that! Don't make me come over there and kick your sorry ass!"

_I think Sango can do that just fine anyway,_ the tiny fox kit chirped as he projected telepathically.

"Well, she's not over here coddling me," Miroku said with a pout. "I'll take what attention I can get."

"Animal," Sango retorted, thumping him over the head with her fist. The uncertainty of the thump spoke volumes about both her feelings for the former monk and her uncertainty about her own place in the world. She felt naked without Hiraikotsu. The mighty six-foot-long boomerang made of demon bones had broken in the final battle against Naraku, and in the hurry afterwards it had gotten left behind. Besides all that, she was still unsure what to think of her connection with Miroku. The world had upended on her; she was still trying to figure out which direction was up.

Miroku gave her a strained grin, trying to ease her discomfort, despite his own pain.

Inuyasha was wobbling, swaying and staggering almost as if he'd had quite a few too many sakes, but he was staying upright on his feet. His legs were wobbly, but they weren't collapsing on him. His determination was strong enough to keep him upright.

Mrs Higurashi came out of the house carrying a tray of tea and rice-cakes. She passed cups and cakes around to each young adult, patting Shippo's little furry head affectionately as she did so. Inuyasha sat down at the base of Goshinboku, leaning gratefully into the tree's sturdy trunk.

"So, you're not going back there again, Kagome?" Mrs Higurashi asked of her daughter.

"I don't think I can," Kagome said. "And besides, there's nothing left back there for me. Everyone's here with me. Everyone who survived, anyway..."

Mrs Higurashi nodded sagely; "Well, I suppose it's just as well then that you've come back. I do worry about your future, you know, dear. You're never going to get into high school unless you pass those entrance exams, and you're running low on time." She patted her daughter on the shoulder comfortingly. "But you're home now, and your friends are with you, so cheer up. Everything will work out in the end."

"Thanks, Mom." Kagome smiled tiredly.

"I have an idea," Mrs Higurashi said after a long silence. "Why don't each of you take a bath and change your clothes? We'll need to take some measurements of your friends, and I can go to the store first thing tomorrow and find something decent for them. The stores are probably all closed by now, but I'm sure Gramps has some shrine-clothing for your friends that will do until we can get them something modern."

* * *

Kagome had to admit that it was weird seeing her friends dressed like her grandfather. It was even weirder seeing Sango dressed like a shrine-maiden than it was to see Miroku and Inuyasha in shrine-keeper clothing. With his hand now treated with antiseptic cream and bandaged fully, Miroku was showing more energy now that the pain was beginning to fade. Inuyasha was slowly coming around as well, though he was still so exhausted he could hardly move around much. 

Mrs Higurashi was taking Sango's measurements so she could buy clothing to fit her, when out of nowhere, Shippo yipped and Buyo hissed. Buyo was sitting on the top of the couch by the front window, with Shippo seated on the floor next to it.

Kagome closed the book she was reading and looked over at the window. A car had pulled up and a man was getting out of it. There was something familiar about him...

"Is that a police car?" Gramps asked incredulously, looking out the window as well. "What do the police want with us?"

Mrs Higurashi came over to the window and looked out. "Oh dear. That's Kin no Hitomi, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is!" Sota said excitedly. "He's so awesome."

"Keh," Inuyasha said from where he reclined on the couch. "He sounds like trouble, to me."

Kagome watched silently as Kin no Hitomi paused at the edge of the driveway, looking contemplatively at the house. He was definitely familiar, but she couldn't place how.

Mrs Higurashi went to the door and opened it just as the detective approached the porch. "Good evening, Kin no Hitomi-san. Can I help you with something?"

The detective apparently said something, because his mouth moved, but Kagome, seated where she was, couldn't hear him.

"Yes, by all means," Mrs Higurashi said hurriedly, ushering the man into the house. "Is there something wrong, sir?"

He apparently didn't see the point in answering her at all, even as she led him into the main room. He stood in the doorway, scoping the entire room without a word.

Now that he stood a mere ten feet away from her, Kagome could size Kin no Hitomi up with a critical eye. He was indeed very slender, almost too slender. He wore black trousers, a dark gray sweater and a long black coat that came down just past his hips. It wasn't a trench-coat, but it was definitely a European cut of clothing. He also had black gloves on. For a police officer, she noticed, it didn't look like he was armed at all. No hand-cuffs, no guns, no weapons or defenses at all. An unusual bandana encircled his forehead, and his eyes were shaded by unusually dark sunglasses (and given how late in the day it was, Kagome thought that sunglasses would be unnecessary unless he was deliberately hiding his eyes). His jet-black hair, bound into a ponytail at the base of his skull, looked like it was longer than even Inuyasha's hair. It looked like he had some scars on his cheek, but try as she might, she couldn't seem to focus on them long enough to see exactly what they were. And he definitely had two arms, both of which seemed to function normally.

As much as she desperately wanted to believe that this man was somehow connected with Sesshomaru, she couldn't sense any youkai energy from him. He seemed completely human.

He strode forward to stand in the middle of the room. His stance was one of someone who is searching for something. His nostrils flared slightly as he inhaled deeply. He faced Inuyasha, who was sitting up apprehensively.

"So," he said. "We meet again, Inuyasha."

That voice was so familiar.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha said suspiciously. "How do you know me?"

"You don't recognize me? I thought you of all people would know me, no matter the disguise." Kin no Hitomi reached up and untied the bandana around his brow, pulling it away.

Inuyasha started violently, forcing himself to stand up and back away. "You!"

Kin no Hitomi removed his sunglasses and tucked them into a pocket as he removed his coat.

Kagome finally got her brain to work. Despite all the signs pointing any way but this, there could be no denying that vibrant blue crescent moon on his forehead. And when she looked again, those "scars" she though she saw on his cheeks were actually stripes.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome stared at him. "But... how can you... you don't have any presence. You seem completely human. And your arm...!"

Kin no Hitomi -- no, Sesshomaru -- responded by turning to face her. Without speaking, he tapped his left forearm. It took Kagome a moment to realize that he was indicating that she should listen. It slowly dawned on her that he was tapping something that actually made a sound. His arm was... well, it wasn't exactly hollow, but that was definitely not the sound of a living limb. In other words, he had an artificial arm. A prosthetic arm.

Not only that, but the more she looked, the more she realized that, rather than lacking a youkai presence, he so utterly outclassed her expectations that it had fooled her. His youkai presence transcended anything she'd encountered before. He was on a level far beyond anything she'd ever seen.

"But... how did you survive?" Inuyasha asked, his utter disbelief overriding his usual surliness with Sesshomaru. "I thought you died a long time ago. I could have sworn that's what he told me, that you died after purging the youkai from here."

Sesshomaru's face, true to form, didn't emote at all, even though he was most likely seeing his brother as a human for the first time. "He didn't _tell_ you anything. He _showed_ you. And because you didn't see me, you assumed that I died. But you are not the only one who has learned how to survive."

No one else spoke for a long time. Sesshomaru soundlessly scanned the room, registering all people within it. Not an ounce of youkai energy permeated anyone, not even that strange little fox. The fox wasn't normal, but it wasn't really a youkai, either. Or rather, if it was a youkai, it was the kind that so completely mimicked a mundane creature that it was of no consequence to him. His targets were youkai who targeted or encountered humans and revealed their natures to those humans. A youkai incapable of revealing its supernatural nature to a human was immaterial to him.

"So, did you need something, sir?" Mrs Higurashi asked tentatively.

"I came to see them. I sensed them earlier in the day. But I see no threat in them. The only one with any youkai power left at all is that creature there," he gestured toward Shippo, "and its powers are so faint, it is of no interest to me. However..."

He faced Inuyasha and studied him minutely. "What are your plans?"

"Plans?"

"What do you intend to do with yourself now?"

"I... hadn't thought that far ahead."

Sesshomaru folded his arms across his chest, his eyes firmly fixed on Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha, true to his canine nature, couldn't hold his gaze for long before looking away.

"I need to figure myself out first. I don't know what options are available to me. Dammit, I haven't even been here more than six hours, you know!"

Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow slightly. "Are you then determined to merge with humans? To join their way of life and become one of them?"

"Yes. Why?"

Sesshomaru abruptly turned around. "Then I have no further business with you. If you are determined to become an ordinary human, you are no threat to my domain. Fare you well." Bowing respectfully to Mrs Higurashi, he left without another word. No one moved at all until after he'd gotten in his car and was gone.

"That..." Sango said breathlessly, "was even more nerve-wracking than facing Naraku."

Inuyasha sank to the floor, exhausted. "I... I really thought he was going to kill me. He always said he would, and... God, for the first time in my life, I was afraid to die. I... I never thought about it before now. And all I could think about was how I just don't want to die now. I... I've never been so frightened for myself. I feel so weak now."

Kagome knelt beside him, putting her arms around him. "It's all right. It's over now, and I don't think he'll be back. It looks like he was just doing his job, ascertaining whether you were a threat to his duties or not."

"I am so weak as a human, it's just ridiculous and pathetic," Inuyasha muttered.

"Actually," Miroku said, "even as a human, I've got to admit, you're the strongest person I've ever met. You've endured and survived things no human should have survived, even during your human nights. And quite frankly, you're the only one who was brave enough to face him. If you'll notice, neither Sango nor I spoke once while he was here."

"Come on," Kagome said, pulling his arm across her shoulders so she could help him stand. "Why don't you go to bed early and get some rest. Tomorrow we'll figure out what we're going to do with the rest of our lives. I think we've had enough excitement for one day."

He grunted as he stood. "You know, I hate it when you're right."

* * *

Having ruled out Inuyasha as possible threat, Kin no Hitomi, as he continued to think of himself, returned to his daily routine, quietly soldiering on through time, carrying out his duties and cherishing his precious, fading memories, using them to shore up any human or canine emotions such as loneliness. 

True to his word, Inuyasha had blended in with society, and only his distinctive scent kept him at all on Kin no Hitomi's personal radar.

Inexplicably, he found himself repeatedly drawn to the Higurashi residence, though he refused to cross the property line. He merely went near enough it to ascertain for himself that yes Inuyasha still lived, and still resided within the walls of that house. Somehow, knowing that his brother still lived seemed to ease his heart. Why, he couldn't begin to understand, since he had no affection for said sibling. But perhaps out of respect for their mutual experiences during the Warring States era, perhaps he felt a kindred spirit to those time-travelers.

Or perhaps he was just getting soft.

Some time later -- whether it was weeks, months or years, he didn't know and didn't care; time seemed to flow around him rather than with him -- he came upon the house to see that it was decorated for a wedding. Nothing fancy, but decidedly western in flavor. He didn't hang around long enough to see who the bride and groom were. He had a pretty good idea anyway.

**THE END.**


End file.
